Hong Kong Blog Day 9 - Impressions of Leslie

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I had gone to bed late the night before, after a long day of emotionally fulfilling and inspiring activities.  A mere 5 1/2 hours after my head hit the pillow, I awoke to the jarring sound of the phone ringing.  It was Molle telling me that she would be unable to meet Simie and I for lunch in Tsim Sha Tsui.  She called early to make sure that I would get the message before leaving the hotel for the day, since I didn’t have a phone number to contact her if she didn’t appear at the appointed time and place for lunch.

I packed some more and then went out for a little bit of breakfast.  Soon it was time to take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui and meet Simie for lunch.  I arrived a little early and spent several minutes standing outside the MTR station next to the entrance of the Kowloon Mosque.  I was continually approached by Indian hawkers, whom I simply ignored.  There was also a rather dubious individual in Buddhist monastic garb that kept pushing a begging bowl insistently under my nose and demanding money.  There was something a bit fishy about this “monk” and I simply ignored him, too.  As I was waiting, I had ample opportunity to do some people watching.  It was Good Friday at mid-day, apparently the beginning of a long holiday weekend for many.  There was a fairly relaxed atmosphere.  Like most people, I had heard of Hong Kong’s reputation as an Asian fleshpot with a robust prostitution trade.  I certainly had seen enough of the Triad pimps working the streets of Mongkok at night, wearing their headsets and setting up assignations with their “girls” to believe what I had read.  Though I seemed to have missed the corners where the “girls” themselves hung out trying to lure customers to part with their money in exchange for a brief and tawdry sexual encounter.  I had also read about the legalization of prostitution in Hong Kong that made it legal for a prostitute to operate if she worked alone and didn’t have a pimp.  (Though how realistic this last requirement is I have to wonder?)  As in many other countries, I suppose these lone operators advertise via a website on the internet and word of mouth.  Standing outside the MTR exit I think I must have seen one of these classier “chickens” pick up a pre-arranged client.  So how did I know she was a prostitute?  She was dressed nicely, but in flashier clothing than your typical Hong Kong Chinese woman, but yet not in classic streetwalker garb.  The fuchsia silk brocade skirt, the black patterned hose and high heels, not to mention the hairstyle, which was a bit more dramatic than what I had seen for the past week on the streets of Hong Kong made me think instantly that she was a “working girl”.  Then a nicely groomed man in his mid to late-30s, dressed in casual dress pants and a starched shirt come up out of the MTR.  The woman greeted him and went over to talk to him.  The talked for a few seconds and then went down into the MTR together.  I doubt she represented the top echelon of Hong Kong prostitutes.  One supposes that those women never meet clients on the street and their exclusive services are pricey enough that their clientele exists exclusively of the wealthy, titans of industry and finance.  Those beautiful women, in their expensive designer clothing, well-educated and intelligent, would not stand out in a crowd of wealthy tai-tais and, one assumes, would be shopping at the same exclusive designer boutiques.  Well, so much for the skin trade in Hong Kong.  As a woman, no one ever approached me with an offer of a good-looking young man to show me a “good time” (though I did get a dubious invitation for a foot massage late on a Sunday night on the streets of Mongkok).

Simie arrived and we headed to a Macanese restaurant that someone had recommended to us on Lock Road.  The food was excellent.  We ate the typical Portuguese-inspired crispy pork bun and Macau egg tart.  I had a mango and lime drink, made fresh to order and Simie had a similar fruit drink of a different flavor.  The food was good, the bun was light and crispy (probably due to being made with lard), and I found I liked the Macau-style egg tart even more than the Hong Kong version.

After this delicious lunch, we met Julie to travel to the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts for a photo exhibition titled:  Impressions of Leslie.  The exhibition had just opened the previous afternoon and was sponsored by Red Mission.  I cannot say enough about the work of Red Mission and the high quality of the activities associated with the commemoration of Leslie in 2010.  This photo exhibition was no exception.  Upon first entering the lobby of the Performing Arts Center, there was a very attractive poster with Leslie advertising the exhibition.  Entering the elevator to proceed to the floor with the exhibition gallery had another poster.  Then walking into the lobby of the exhibition space itself, a large floor-to-ceiling poster covered one entire wall and greeted visitors to the exhibition.  A table manned by Red Mission volunteers was set up to greet visitors and provide an opportunity for them to learn more about Red Mission and its activities.

The exhibition featured the work of three photographers.  Upon entering the exhibition space, you are in a long gallery that has a series of beautiful pictures of Leslie taken for the Stark Impressions book published in 1989.  These were photographs that did not make it into the publication, though they belong to the same sessions as many of the images that are featured in the book.  The unpublished photographs were every bit as good as the published ones, and some I actually prefer to the ones chosen for publication.  There were also large hanging banners imprinted with additional images from this series of photographs.  Along one long wall there was a slide show of yet more photographs.  The impact of so many pictures of Leslie taken in 1989 when he was at the absolute peak of his physical beauty was quite overwhelming.  Everyone who visited the exhibition, I think, quickly found their favorites among the many new images.

Here is a video a fan made of the exhibition that gives a very good idea of the layout and scope of the exhibition and of the very high quality of the photographs displayed.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slvA5KgPqLo&feature=related[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189165)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189166)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189169)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189168)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7188988)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189596)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189595)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189599)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189600)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7189808)[](/batch.download.php?aid=7160016)In a small back gallery were displayed photographs by several other artists, including Wing Shya and an original painted portrait of Leslie.  The picture of Leslie dressed in a white jumpsuit from the Passion Tour, bathed in red light, is one of my absolute favorite photographs of Leslie.  Wing Shya had been shooting Leslie since the Happy Together film shoot in Argentina, and they developed an excellent rapport.  Wing always managed to capture the most interesting aspects of Leslie with his camera, and the photographs from the Passion Tour are no exception.

All in all, the photography exhibition far exceeded my expectations.  Many, many pictures of Leslie have been posted on the internet (thousands, I am sure) and published in various books and magazines over the years, but this was the first time that I had seen professionally printed large-scale examples of some of the best of these photographs.  I feel very lucky to have seen this exhibition, especially the unpublished photographs and the marvelous work of Wing Shya.  Many fans have posted photographs and videos taken at this exhibition.  I think we can safely say that it made a great impression on the fans lucky enough to be in Hong Kong during its run.

When we came out of the exhibition, it had begun to rain fairly hard.  The weather was also changing from warm and sultry to chilly and windy.  The planned itinerary for the afternoon, visiting many sites on Hong Kong Island associated with Leslie on foot, was not practical in this sort of weather.  Fortunately, Angelina arrived with her car and there was room for all of us (Molle, Simie, Julie, Angelina and I).  Because it was Saturday and parking was problematic, we did a tour by car of various parts of Hong Kong Island.  I saw many places, especially in the hills away from the coast, that I probably would never otherwise have seen on this visit.  The landscape of Hong Kong is surprisingly varied and interesting.  I got a very real sense of how little of the city I had actually seen despite my travels in the nine days I had spent in Hong Kong.  There is much more that I want to see, which means return trips are an absolute must!

It was now 20 degrees Fahrenheit colder than before the rain shower, and I was not dressed for the weather.  So, I decided to go back to the hotel to change into warmer clothes and then I would meet everyone at the Jordan MTR station for dinner.

The regulars (Simie, Julie, Molle and I) met up with Franny and some Red Mission Hong Kong members for dinner at a very nice restaurant.  Row upon row of fish tanks filled with different kinds of delicious fish and some persistent crabs who kept trying to climb out of their tank greeted us when we walked into the restaurant.  We were seated at a large round table at one end of the restaurant.  At the table next to ours, it looked like a couple of Triad uncles and their boys were having a dinner meeting.  (This was especially obvious when one of the uncles took the young men out into the fire exit passageway and conducted a private 15 minute meeting out of earshot of everyone in the restaurant.)  Then it was celebratory drinks all around at that table.  Makes you wonder what the meeting was about.  I guess it was probably better that I didn’t know.

We were a much tamer crowd by far at the table I was at:  a group of women talking about Leslie Cheung, the 2010 commemoration activities and even beginning to think ahead to 2011.  Dish after scrumptious dish was brought to the table.  Everything was excellent and before long we were all happy and very full.  I made sure I got pictures with everyone so that I could remember this marvelous night, my last in Hong Kong and the last in the warm, welcoming embrace of Leslie’s fans.  After this delicious meal, we crossed the street to a Starbucks' and had coffee and desert.  The fans had various Chinese-language newspapers and were discussing the news media's coverage of the commemoration events.  My time in Hong Kong had passed so quickly, and, in only a few hours, I would be leaving Hong Kong.  All too soon, it was time for this group of Leslie fans to disperse to catch the last trains of the night to take us back to our hotels or homes.  I reluctantly said good-bye to my new friends and went back to the hotel to finish packing and prepare for my departure the next morning.I cannot really say enough about the Leslie Cheung fans I met in Hong Kong.  Everyone welcomed me with open arms and was so happy to meet me.  They made me feel like someone quite special, and our mutual love for our Big Brother (Gor Gor) created a special bond between us.  I was totally unprepared for the warmth of the welcome and the enthusiasm with which fans sought to share my experiences and ensure that I had the best experience of Leslie during my time in Hong Kong.  I was wined and dined in great style, given personal guided tours, included in special fan activities, seated in the V.I.P. section at public events, introduced to fans from all over the world and given innumerable Leslie Cheung-related presents, including some precious items from personal collections.  If his fans are any indication, Leslie must have been a truly exceptional human-being, kind and generous, welcoming and loving.  I only hope that I expressed adequately to all the fans I met how privileged I was to meet them and share their experiences of Leslie.  Leslie may have left his physical body April 1, 2003, but in many ways he lives on in the hearts and actions of his fans.  He continues to inspire us by his example, both in his art and in his life.  What better tribute could there be to this extraordinary artist and marvelous human-being?

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